


not a mirror

by laireshi



Category: Avengers (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: M/M, but it's a happy fic really, evil counterparts, hickmanvengers, steve and tony are idiots together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-10
Updated: 2014-02-10
Packaged: 2018-01-11 19:30:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1177013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laireshi/pseuds/laireshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another Avengers show up. Oh, but they're different. Younger. Evil.</p>
            </blockquote>





	not a mirror

**Author's Note:**

  * For [phenominable_snowman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/phenominable_snowman/gifts).



> Happy birthday, Mi!
> 
> This fic starts where Avengers #25 ends -- when the evil alt Avengers show up on 616 Earth.
> 
> MemoryDragon, thanks for betareading :)

Steve looks at the body lying on the table.

Maria Hill has just told them all her best scientists confirmed it was Hank Pym. Steve can see this with his own eyes. This is clearly Hank, in his old costume. Dead. And Maria Hill is asking Steve for an alibi. It feels surreal. Hank's his friend, he . . .

“Your best guys didn't suggest an alternate universe?” Iron Man asks sarcastically. It's an obvious solution, really, and Steve should've thought of it himself.

“Maybe,” Hill admits. “That doesn't change the fact that it's Captain America on this footage, and I can only see one of them running around now.”

An agent approaches her in that moment. “Sir. There are reports of another Avengers in New York right now. They're hostile.”

Steve could laugh at the timing, if the situation didn't seem so serious.

“You were saying?” Tony asks, and that's it. Someone has to stop these new Avengers, and who else?

It's an Avengers World, and it's an honour and a promise; from the Avengers to Earth – not the other way round, never the other way round.

They go. Carol and Thor and Smasher fly to take care of the alternate Wasp and Thor. Bruce is called to stop his other self. Steve and Tony just look at each other before Tony extends his arm in a silent invitation. They fly together to meet their other selves.

“His armour looks about a million years old,” Tony remarks. “It's pathetic.”

“I know, Tony, it doesn't compare to _yours_ ,” Steve says. “Be careful anyway?”

“I'm always careful,” Tony says, and Steve has to swallow against the sudden worry in his gut.

 

***

 

The other Iron Man's armour resembles Tony's old models, but is different, warped somehow. As many armours as Tony had over the years, Steve would never mistake it for his Tony's.

Steve wouldn't recognize the other Captain America from himself. It was like seeing a picture of him from a few years back, with a few less betrayals behind him.

Iron Man brings them to the ground. Steve lets go, and turns to their counterparts.

“Oh, look, they have some Avengers,” the alternate Iron Man says flatly. “And I suppose you're here with an offer of peace,” he drawls the last word, and it sounds almost ominous in his mechanic voice.

Tony's silent behind Steve. Steve knows that for all his self-assurance, he's scanning the other armour, because there's clearly a Tony Stark inside. And Tony Stark is nothing if not dangerous, an old-fashioned suit or not.

“Hey, what's with the colours, other me, you in mourning?” the other Iron Man continued.

“Over how low I've clearly fallen in another universe,” Tony says, and Steve knows he's rolling his eyes behind the faceplate.

“It was actually another Earth falling on us,” the other Captain America says. Steve feels dizzy.

Not just any planet, another _Earth._ He knows he's heard it before, except he can't remember . . . Well, that's easy enough to help, because if he doesn't know something, Tony surely does.

“Tony?” he says, half-asking, quietly. The other him hears anyway. He turns to the other Iron Man, his eyes wide. Steve is briefly surprised and then it clicks. The old-looking armour, how young that Captain America looks – clearly this Tony hasn't yet been revealed his identity.

“Tony?” the other Steve repeats, something dangerous in his voice. “Take off that helmet.”

Steve maybe should feel guilty over apparently outing the other Iron Man, but he can't. He can hardly stop himself from laughing. Tony doesn't have such compulsions, and almost giggles over the comms.

And then the alternate Iron Man reaches up and pulls off his helmet, and it's Tony. It's Tony from a few years back, but different, colder, sharper somehow. It almost hurts Steve to look at him. It's a Tony, but it's not _his_ Tony. He seems slightly annoyed. There's none of the half-amused embarrassment Steve's Tony exhibited when his secret identity came out on the other Tony's face.

The other Steve moves, suddenly, and punches the other Tony in the jaw. Steve takes half a step forward before stopping himself. It's none of his business, even if he hates to see himself hitting Tony.

But the other Tony just laughs, as if he's gone mad, spitting blood. His Steve grabs him by his arms and pulls him in and kisses him, and Tony kisses him back.

Steve stares. He tries not to think of how it's all of his dreams in a broken mirror, and tries not to look at his Tony, just in case.

The kiss is nowhere near gentle. The other Steve has one hand in Tony's hair, red glove bright against black hair. His grip looks almost painful, but Tony doesn't seem to mind. He's kissing Steve back, one hand at his arm and the other around his back, gauntleted fingers digging into his side. He's taller, in the armour, leaning down to meet his Steve. Steve finds himself wondering how it'd be to kiss someone taller than him, how it'd feel if it was him and his Tony. He wants to look away and doesn't want to lose any second of this.

“Well, this gives a new meaning to public displays of affection,” Tony says over the comms, but his voice lacks any humour, sounds as empty as Steve feels, because why this other him, this other him who's a murderer and a villain gets to have everything Steve wishes for?

This just isn't _fair_.

The other Tony suddenly he moves his hand from the other Steve's arm. Steve raises his shield in time to safely deflect a repulsor, and then it's chaos.

He can fight people that are stronger, quicker, and better armed than him, but going against himself is a different experience. He loses track of Tony in between avoiding punches and stopping moves he himself would use. He hears an explosion and doesn't dare look. He'd love to be able to spar like that, but as it is, he's fighting for his life and they're perfectly matched. He punches the other him, but he dodges and tries to hit him with his shield. Steve blocks it with his own shield. The loud, metallic sound almost makes him wince. The other him tries to kick him, and Steve jumps away, throws his shield and immediately moves back, trying to hit him just after he stops the shield. In that moment, Tony says, _duck_ , and Steve immediately does. The other him shields himself against the repulsor blast at the last moment. Steve uses this to swipe his legs from under him and tackle him to the ground, knocking his shield away. Tony fires at him again, knocking him out.

Steve glances at him and sees the armour unscathed, the other Iron Man lying on the ground.

“So that was enlightening,” he says.

Tony laughs.

 

***

 

They try to look for the other Avengers' Earth. Reed scans for it and scans for it and scans, and then declares their entire _universe_ gone. Steve hopes he imagines the look Reed shares with Tony at that.

He dreams of another Earth hanging low in the sky and the Infinity Gauntlet, and he knows he's forgotten something important.

Tony goes to visit the other himself in cell, claiming he's got more questions. Steve goes with him against his protests. He knows he won't let Tony do it alone and ignores Tony's hurt look suggesting the man knows that, too.

The other Tony is stretched on the low bench, somehow still managing to look as if he's on the most comfortable bed, posing, and he's simultaneously like Tony and not like him at all. He's leaning on one elbow. He looks at Steve through lowered lashes, smiles seductively.

“At least tell me you've got a drink for me,” he says as a greeting. Tony doesn't flinch next to Steve, but his muscles go tense and it's obvious even through the armour.

“Your Earth is gone,” Tony says, just like that.

“I imagine much more than that,” the other him replies.

Tony isn't surprised. Steve _knows_ he's hiding something, but he desperately wants to trust him with that even as he feels he shouldn't.

“It's not every day you see universes colliding,” he continues. He's providing a lot of information for a Tony Stark closed down in a cell. Steve's immediately suspicious.

“You'd be surprised,” Tony replies easily. Steve wants to believe he's bluffing and knows he isn't.

“You know, given how everyone I know is dead, the least you could do is close me in one cell with Cap.”

“And how do you know he's not dead, either?” Tony asks, something cold and foreign in his voice.

The other him flinches, and then laughs to cover it. “I am you. Could _you_ kill any version of him?”

“Tell me more about this other Earth,” Steve says, suddenly tired of these games.

“The sky went red,” other-Tony says, “but I imagine my counterpart knows about that. I know how I look like when I'm hiding something.”

“Good try, other-me,” Tony mocks. “And you ended up here, by accident.”

The other him shrugs and doesn't answer. They leave. Tony flies them to the Tower; silent all the way.

“Tony,” Steve says to him when they stand on the roof.

“Don't believe a word he says,” Iron Man answers.

“That's your first reaction?” Steve asks quietly.

“What do you want me to say? He was asking for a drink, Steve, I –”

“Don't pretend it's about that,” Steve snaps, and is suddenly very grateful he can't see Tony's face.

Tony doesn't answer for a long time, and Steve sighs and turns back, starts walking away, when Tony's voice – Tony's, not Iron Man's – stops him.

“Wait,” he says. Steve looks back over his shoulder, sees Tony with his helmet tucked under his elbow. “Reed and I – he's scanning for other universes constantly. Some started to disappear. Always in pairs. We don't know – we're trying on finding a reason, see if ours is safe, but we've got nothing so far.”

 Steve shakes his head. He's not even angry, just disappointed. “Talk to me when you're ready to stop lying,” he says and leaves.

 

***

 

There's another Earth over them and if it reaches theirs, two universes will die.

Steve has infinite power, and feels everything, Namor's doubts, Beast's hope, Tony's – Tony's love.

The Earth over him crashes down.

He wakes up, suddenly, and can't breathe for a long while.

 

***

 

He's preparing breakfast when his communicator goes off, loudly. Steve looks at it and swears, switches it on.

“The alternate Avengers broke out. The other Hulk is loose in Central Park,” Maria Hill says.

“On it,” he says and disconnects.

The Avengers assemble, and Tony isn't with them. Steve calls him, once, and doesn't get an answer. He doesn't know if he should be worried or angry.

He doesn't have time for either; the Hulk is destroying the park, and the other Thor looks as if he's ready to join him, the Wasp on his shoulder. His and Tony's counterparts are nowhere to be seen, but he knows better than to hope they miraculously still are in their cells. The Hulk is _angry_ , and their Bruce is still en route, and they have to try and contain him and Thor and the Wasp, and –

His communicator beeps, just once, and Steve knows this signal. Tony built it in in case someone besides him put on his armour. That probably explains where he and his other self are, and –

Steve raises his shield just in time to stop Hulk's fist and sees Spider-Woman shooting a blast at him. He hears a twin thunder and doesn't have to look to know Thor is knocking it out with his other self. He throws his shield at Hulk and catches it when it bounces back; the Hulk turns back to him from Spider-Woman and Captain Marvel hits him with a powerful blast. It's not enough. It won't be enough till Bruce gets here, not when the Hulk is that angry –

He can't think of Tony, can't get distracted.

It's an agonizing ten minutes later when their Hulk finally shows up and Steve can breathe again.

“I'm going to Tower – I think the other Iron Man and Captain America are there,” he says on the comms and breaks into a run.

The Wasp shows up in front of him, but he's trained with Jan for years. He ducks and then hits her with his shield, hard enough to knock her out.

“They don't need me with Hulk there,” Spider-Woman says, showing up at his side. “What about Tony?”

“No contact,” he replies.

He called Tony a liar the last time he saw him, and now he might be hurt or . . . whatever Tony might be hiding, it wasn't worth losing him. Nothing was worth that. Why did he never remember this until it was too late?

Time, it's all about time now.

 

***

 

The door to Tony's workshop is open.

Steve doesn't have time to even start worrying about that – he sees Tony, the other Steve's hand at his throat. Tony seems very pale in the stark light, his hand gripping at Steve's, his eyes bloodshot and wide.

The other Tony – well, the other Tony is in an Iron Man suit, with his faceplate up, and he looks annoyed more than anything. “You can blow up a planet with the fire power in this suit,” he says with some admiration. “And –” he stops, noticing Steve, and starts raising his hand in a familiar gesture.

Spider-Woman is ahead of Steve already, throwing herself at his other self, and Steve hits Iron Man with his shield before he can fire the repulsor, and then says, as quickly as he can, “Armour override, Steve Rogers. Code 34-44-54-64.”

The other Tony's eyes widen, as if he didn't think of it – and maybe he didn't, maybe his relationships with his own Steve isn't about trust. Maybe just because they kissed doesn't mean they know everything about each other, and Steve feels stupid for ever being jealous of it, because whatever his Tony is not telling him – Steve believes he has his reasons. Then the armour falls to the ground, and Steve knocks Tony out.

Spider-Woman is trading hits with the other him, and Tony – his arm is bent in an unnatural degree. He's unconscious.

Steve sees red.

The other him hits Spider-Woman with his shield and throws her away. He looks over the room. Steve notices the exact moment the other him sees the other Tony, lying on the floor next to the disassembled armour, because something in his eyes harden. Steve understands in that moment. Even if the other Tony wasn't quite like his, even if he didn't give his Steve the override codes – this Steve was just as far gone for him as Steve himself.

It doesn't change the fact he's hurt his Tony.

In that moment of worry, though, the other Steve loses focus for a second. Spider-Woman stands up and uses it perfectly, hitting him with her venom blast straight in the eyes. Steve follows with his shield and his other self is out.

Steve kneels next to his Tony, takes his pulse and breathes with relief.

“Get him to medical,” Spider-Woman says. “I'll call S.H.I.E.L.D. to take care of these two.”

“Tell them to do better than the last time,” Steve says.

 

***

 

Tony is very emphatically _not happy_.

He's sitting on the sofa and resting, but it's clear it's only because Steve is keeping an eye on him. It's also clear he'll demand a tablet any second now. His arm is in a sling, and he's threatening to take it off and wear his gauntlet instead. Steve isn't really sure if he wouldn't follow, left alone. It's a good thing Steve has no intention of leaving him, supervillains permitting.

“Reed's looked over their cells designs. They're not escaping again,” Tony says, an apologetic note in his voice. “It was obvious. I'm sorry,” he adds for the one hundredth time. Steve just sighs. Yes, maybe it was obvious that closing Tony Stark in a cell designed by Tony Stark wasn't a good idea. They think in too similar a way, even if one of them is a hero and the other a villain.

It still wasn't Tony's fault, but Tony would never believe it.

Steve sighs. “I'm sorry,” he says. “I should've checked why you weren't answering the comms.” He isn't sure what exactly he was thinking in that moment. Tony never ignores a fight. He's dragged himself to help with internal injuries more than once. He wouldn't have left them without support if he could've helped.

There are still fingers-shaped bruises on Tony's neck and it's _Steve's fault_.

Tony laughs, a self-deprecating note in his voice. “While Hulk was destroying Central Park, yeah. I might've just gotten drunk.”

“You wouldn't,” Steve says, because that's the one thing he's sure of. “The other you is not you.”

“He is,” Tony shrugs and winces. His arm must hurt. “He is very much like me,” he repeats, quieter, and looks away.

Steve doesn't want to look into what it may mean.

He doesn't want to think of what transpired when they went to see the other Tony in the cell. Tony's hurt, and he doesn't want to argue with him now.

“I will ask again, you know,” he says anyway. Tony immediately gets tense. He clearly understands what Steve's talking about.

“I'm sorry,” he says, but Steve shakes his head. Not now. Not when the fear of what his other self could have done to Tony is still so fresh in his mind. Not when he's healing.

He pulls him in for a hug, mindful of his broken arm. Tony's really tense. Steve wordlessly starts kneading at his muscles, ignoring the soft sound of surprise, until Tony gets soft and pliant under his hands. He fits his head against Steve's neck, a content sound escaping his throat.

It's good. Steve wishes it could last.

“Steve . . .”

“Don't talk,” Steve says, still rubbing at his back. Tony, miraculously, listens.

When Steve opens his eyes much later, his back hurts from the unnatural position, but Tony's still sleeping in his arms, and that's what counts.


End file.
